Posts Tagged ‘world missions’

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’…(Matthew 25:35)

When the Nepal earthquake hit in April of 2015, it left over 9,000 dead, over 20,000 people injured and hundreds of thousands homeless, as well as displaced in this small area that sits next to China. If our gospel is not Christ centered or shown in such a way that benefits the people equally in such a way that denotes a true and genuine expression of love toward those who are hurting, then we are merely paying lip service about a God that we do not know ourselves, and we become more of a hindrance than a help. Yet that is exactly what has happened in this area not long ago when a disaster took place, which left thousands dead, and even many more with no home. When American missionaries came into Nepal as well as western China to preach Christ, but in the end left little in regards to solving the more serious issues that those who were stricken by the earthquake were experiencing. Yet worse, never actually meeting the desired need of the people, instead, only giving out bibles (no food, no warm blankets, no water – nothing but bibles).

Recently I was sitting with an individual who had been part of a humanitarian relief group for Nepal, who is now back in this part of China, as he began to explain to me his experiences (good and bad) with Christian missionaries from the U.S.. The event which challenged his perspective on American Christianity for the most part was the fact that the only image he saw, as well as the hundreds of others in this little remote village where he was stationed, had been when a large group of missionaries showed up in a large van and began to do “outreach” to the people. At first the people were thrilled that help had come, but instead of help, what came was a form too often seen these days under the guise of “mission work”, where teams would venture into a remote area and preach the gospel, but never actually meeting the physical needs of the people. The people of Nepal, as well as western China told the tale as this large group of U.S. missionaries came into the area that had been ravaged by a natural disaster, and never offering any service of help to restore what had been lost. Instead, they offered bibles. Bibles. Not clothes, or warm blankets, or food, or even bottled water – but bibles. Then, when they finished ministering to the people by handing out the word of God, they left. And with that they were gone.

I asked my friend what did the people do with all those bibles that the missionaries handed them, which were in the hundreds, if not a few thousand? His answer both shocked me, but as I pondered on it later that afternoon, it made perfectly good sense – they burned them. No, the Nepal people, nor the Chinese locals burned those bibles out of some sort of hatred for the gospel, they actually appreciated the care that these well intended (albeit misguided) young men attempted to do. Yet in the end, the people burned their bibles to keep warm during the night.

While there are certainly many good and sincere Christian organizations working in Asia who do have a heart for the people, not just in mere words, but also in demonstration, still, I’ve seen an increase of those who come to Asia with the least bit of desire to work with the people, meeting their needs where they are at, and instead, giving them religion disguised as faith. It never works. The apostle Paul stated it like this, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. “ (1 Cor. 2.4,5)

Paul not only met the spiritual needs of the people, he met their physical needs as well. It was the same as Christ, who fed the 5,000+ who came to him hungry. How shall we then show the love of Christ if we neglect the very purpose of Christ and God’s message to man if we care not for the needs of the people? We not only reject the commandment of our Lord, we prove that our claim to Christ is nothing more than a false declaration, not merited by a genuine love for others, but a love to be seen and nothing more. If mission work, or even evangelism for that matter is not founded on the central core of the love of Christ, the message of the cross, which is salvation, followed by the demonstration of that same message, then we have failed in whatever purpose we had to begin with, and we’ve become nothing more than a cheap imitation (religious), a counterfeit.

My heart broke today inside as I listened to how the gospel which could have been used to reach untold numbers of people for Christ, become nothing more than a religious symbol of pride and nothing more. Yet as I look at the work my wife and I do here in China, the churches we establish, the lives that are being changed, the children being educated, people who need medicine paid by and from this ministry, it sets us apart from those who only see the lost as a mere symbol of prideful gain, but a people who need to not only hear that Jesus loves them, but see it in action as well. That is what separates those who preach Christ for all the wrong reasons, from those who preach Christ out of a genuine love for them. That’s the difference.

The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity but a new demonstration. ~Leonard Ravenhill

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“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

There has never been more of an opportunity to reach the people of China than right now. Currently the nation of China is slowly but steadily becoming more and more tolerant and open to Christianity and the gospel. In recent weeks even the President of China has suggested that China can learn from the tenants of the Christian principle of “love one another”.

Since 2013 I have been traveling into China establishing a work that will not just bring new converts into the kingdom, but equally teach the older believers the foundation of the gospel – the message of the cross. Since 2013 God has brought into my life not just this current work, but my wife (Liu) who is a preacher within the City of Chongqing. Together we are establishing churches in Chongqing, Chengdu and now Wuhan. Already we have seen souls come to Christ, dedicating their life to Jesus by faith and walking in his teachings.

From bible distribution to daily and weekly teachings, China Missions was born to serve these needs, and why as of September (labor day) I will officially be moved to China to be with my wife and together we will begin this work together as God has called us to do. So how can YOU help? The need is great, and the laborers are very few. Yet God has always met the need, still he calls for us to allow others to donate and give their support to this work in China. With this I would suggest that if you ever wanted to help and/or support a ministry which has proven itself and is in fact reaching those whom were not able to reach due to Communism. You can reach them through this ministry. Pray and ask the Lord how you can help, either by sending us bibles, or, donating to this proven work.

We are not supported by any Denomination, nor are we supported by any Organization, I have built this work from scratch and my wife (whom is Chinese) is established within (3) large provinces. Whatever you can give, know that it will go to spreading the gospel throughout China, reaching the Chinese with the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can go to our official website (china missions) and know more about what we are doing and how you can give.

“If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” (Luke 9:5)

I work with sinners, all hardcore. From bikers to hustlers, God has put me into a place where I’m surrounded by darkness. Yet never once have I ever felt to preach to them in such a way that would be considered as “in your face” evangelism. Yet they know where I stand because they know I’m both an evangelist and missionary. But lately, in unique ways God brings certain ones to me and they ask me privately about my faith, “You speak in tongues?” or “What do you think about the end of the world?”, but lately some have been seeking real answers to real problems – gut wrenching real problems.

I’ve often wondered how could I make a difference in the job I do in the secular world until I move to China to be with my wife and our work God has for us, then a week ago one of the men was talking with me and began to relay family problems – and it was gut wrenching. I realized just how Satan is destroying people today and people have no where to turn. Yet as I explained to this man the only real answer – Jesus Christ, it revealed to me just how much the world has changed in just 3 decades.

I’m convinced more and more that our methods must change to reflect a more direct way to reach the world, especially in the U.S. than how we’ve done it 25 years ago. Some might take issue with what I’m about to say, and that’s fine, but I believe that due to the darkness of the hour in which we live certain methods simply cannot work today, and it’s because not only has the church changed, but so too has the world. When I see certain methods such as street preaching (which was one of my first real ministry methods when I was 18-19) times were different then, people were different then, the hostility level was not even remote as it is today.

When I see a preacher with a bull horn standing on the street corner my first reaction is, “Is that really working?” Sure, there will always be a few who will stop – listen – and ask questions, some might even reach out and allow one to pray for them, but is it a genuine form of Christian methodology that really works today? My opinion? I don’t see it. The days of Billy Sunday are over with and for good reason, people’s attitudes toward what they perceive as “organized religion” have changed, and most simply do not want to listen. Again, the motive can be right but the method outdated. Again, simply my opinion. But yet I can go into China and witness and even preach at times on the street and people will stop – listen- and seek more. Why? Because where one place the gospel is no longer tolerated, another place is opening for the gospel.

Jesus had the same issue when he went into Nazareth, they didn’t want him, he even cursed Chorazin as well as Bethsaida (Matthew 11:21-24). This why the Lord told his disciples that if a city would not receive the gospel they were to shake the very shoes from off their feet and move on to another place. There is no question that today America is turning a deaf ear to the gospel. The fact is, the nation simply does not want the genuine sincere word of the Lord, they want something other, another gospel. This is why I believe certain evangelistic methods in this nation no longer work, because people’s hearts have been hardened, and the recent statistics from both Barna as well as Pew Research prove it. The truth is, America has become saturated with Christianity to such a degree that we’ve taken having our faith around us for granted. There is a church on every street corner in America. We have Christian television, Christian radio, Christian books, Christian merchandise and still our nation is turning away from the roots of our faith in great numbers. So why do we continue to use methods which are simply not working today compared to 25-50 years ago? I believe it’s because on some level we’ve lost our desire to go further and farther with the gospel and have not changed the way we reach the world.

It’s comfortable to stay at home. It’s comfortable to drive less than 10 miles to an inner street area and witness to a few people, but are we really making an effort to reach the world? I don’t believe so. This is why world missions are facing a significant drought in global missionaries today, because the church as a whole has lost its missionary heart. The only solution is to begin pushing outward and start thinking globally. We did it 100 years ago with great success. Men such as Lester Sumrall, Hudson Taylor, Livingston, John G Lake, and Evan Roberts all paved the way for missions and saw multitudes come to Christ. So why are we not seeing the same affect today in our own backyard? The reason is simple – outdated methodology. Even Jesus told his own disciples “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Of course there will always be a need for local and regional inner city mission work, but if we are truly going to reach the world for Christ, then we must take stock of where we are at today, what is working and what has not worked and seek the direction of the Lord. Again, some will take issue with this, but I truly believe that due to the lateness of the hour and the rise of anti-christian beliefs in America, what worked then will not and is not working today, and we need to recognize it and correct it. The 10/40 window hasn’t closed, and is still very much open, but will we go through it? The world is waiting.